As of April this year, the Republic of Moldova has begun gradually reducing unemployment benefits for those who do not find work or refuse the job offers provided by the National Agency for Employment. The announcement was made by the Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Alexei Buzu, who says that the move is intended to encourage more people to seek employment.
Under the new policy, individuals who are registered as unemployed and receive social assistance will lose their benefits if they do not find work within six months or refuse job offers from the National Agency for Employment. If they are still unemployed after six months, their benefits will be reduced by 20% for the next two months. After eight months, the benefits will be reduced by 40%. Those who remain unemployed for 10 months will lose all their benefits and will be ineligible to reapply for a period of 12 months.
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According to the Minister, the government will support those who find employment quickly. During the first three months of employment, individuals will receive both their salary and unemployment benefits from the state.
“We are introducing measures to stimulate people to find work,” Buzu said on the radio program “360 Degrees”. “People who receive social assistance and manage to find a job will continue to receive both their salary and social assistance for a period of three months. They will not have to immediately give up their benefits, and they will not have to choose between social assistance and a salary, which at first may be lower.”
The Minister also announced that the government will make changes to the law to encourage the National Agency for Employment to provide more proactive services to the unemployed. “We will provide them with all the information and support they need to find work, because only in this way can these people break the vicious cycle of poverty,” he added.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of unemployed people in the Republic of Moldova in 2022 was 27,700, a slight decrease from the previous year’s figure of 28,200.